Airship.



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I. Wn HAIRDEN.

AIRSHIP.

APPLICATION FILED MAH. 30. IsIa.

Patented. J an. 7, 1919.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2- gva/vento@ James MfRardeI/I 61H01 neg 1. vv. RAIRDEN.l

AIRSHIP.

APPucATloN FILED MAR. 30. 19H1.

Patented Jan. 7,1919.

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MT1-clamav .TES 'WILLIAM MIB/DEN, OF GHATTNOOGA, TENNESSEE.

RSHIP.

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l Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented dan.. t, 1919..

Application led vMarch 30, 1918. Serial No. 225,800.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it knownfthat ll, JAMES W. RAIRDEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements -in Airships, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to airships of the lighter than air type, the object in view being to produce a machine of the class referred to capable of sustaining itself'for a long period of time in the air and capable of attaining great altitudes.

A further object of the invention is to produce a machine of the character referred to which embodies in connection with an aerostat and a car suspended below the same, means for producing gas with which to fill the aerostat, and means for exhausting vair l from the aerostat'preparatory to introducing gas therein, the gas producer, the engine, and the vacuum pump being located and housed within the car.

A further object of the invention is 4te provide convenient means for .exhausting the gas from the aerostat to enable the machine to descend and make a safe landing.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the noval vconstruction, combination and arrangement of parts, herein described, illustrated and claimed.

Figure 1 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section of the improved airship.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation thereof.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the, same.

Fig. 4 is a planview of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section thereof.

Referring to the drawings 1 designates an aerostat of elongated cylindrical formationwith tapering or pointed end portions enabling the same to be driven through the y air with minimum f head resistance. The aerostat 1 is divided 'by partitions into` compartments 2, 3, 4, I5, 6, 7 and 8, more or less" compartments being used according to the size of the aerostat and the machine. The shell ofthe aerostat is-preferablyforrned of tempered sheet metal, preferably copper and may be internally braced in any suitable way to prevent the same from collapsing when a partial vacuum is created therein preparatory to introducing the gas. Suspended below the aerostat 1 is a car or gondola 9 preferably in the form of a boat having tapered or pointed front and rear end l Whichlead pipes 14 which extend fromthe car upwardly within the aerostat where they are prov1dedf w1 th branches 15 leading to the Several airtlght compartments of the aerostat asshown in Fig. 1. This enables each of the-compartments of the aerostat to be filled with its own supply of gas so that 1n case of a puncture occurring in one of the compartments the other compartments will not be a'ected The pipes 14 are provided with stop cocks or valves 16 enabling the same to be opened and closed by the operator. 17 designates a gas producer from which pipes 18 lead t0 and communicate with the pipes 20, the pipes 1'8 being adapted to be opened and closed by valves or stop cocks 19. The exhaust pipes 19 lead from the pipes 18 upwardly through one of the compartments of the aerostat and are adapted to exhaust aJbove said aerostat aS indica-ted in Fig. 1. The pipes 19. are controlled by valves or stop cocks 20. v21 designates a fuel tank which communicates with the carbureter ofthe engine 12, the fuel tank being' located within the boat-like body or car 9.

LocatedI at opposite sides of the aerostat -are boX-like planes 22 having a plurality f su-perposed planes closed in bythe side walls y 23. The planes 22 are both mounted upon a rudders 22 and extend downwardly into the car where they pass around guide pulleys 28 and thence upwardly around the hub ofl a. controlling wheel 29,"by means of which the operator may tilt the'planes 22 at any de slred angle for rising to a higher altitude or descending toa lower altitude.

At the rear of the machine I arrange a vertical rudderpost 30 having at the bottom thereof a cross head or. tiller 31 and also having at a higher elevation justbelow the aerotat another cross bar or tiller 32. A

lower Vert-ical rudder 33 extends backwardly f from and is ixedly secured to the rudder erator who may thus control the directional i movement of the craft.

At the front and rear of the machine I mount two propellersl 41 the shafts 42 of which extend into and longitudinally of the car whereftliey are geared to the shafts of the engines 12 in`connection with which I employ a clutch 43 which may be operated by a-lever 44 for'the' purpose of throwing lso the propellers into and out of operation as may be required without stopping the en gine.

lIn order to operate the craft, the engine is started and. thepvalves 16 are opened, the valves.19` and 20 remaining closed. This causes the pump 13 to exhaust the air from the aerostat 1. As soon as this has been effected, the valves 16 are closed and the valves 19 are opened permitting the gas generated by the producer 17 to ow through the pipes 14 and fill the compartments of the aerostat. When it is desired to descend, the valves 19 are closed and the valves 16 and 20 opened Thereupon the engine 12 operates to exhaust the gas to any desired degree from the aerostat and discharge the same through the exhaust pipes 19.

The machine may of course be made of any-size according to the load to be carried andthe car may be made of suitable size to carry 'safely any desired number of passengers. The craft may be used as a pleasure craft or for commercial uses or war purposes and will be safe at any altitude.

Inan airship, the combina-tion of an aerostat, a car suspended below the aerostat,` crossed stays connecting said aerostat and car and having bearings at their crossing points, a normally horizontal shaft passing through said bearings, a vertical rudder, horizontal rudders in the form of box planes centrally mounted on said shaftand extending throughout the greater portion of the length of the aerostat, an operating wheel for said horizontal rudders located in the car, and flexible connections controlled by said wheel and extending upwardly to the horizontal rudders adjacent to the front and rea-r ends of the latter.

In testimony whereof' I aiiix my signature.

JAMES WILLIAM RAIRDEN. 

